[cid:image001.jpg@01D85808.9CBB1A80]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College of Charleston Beach Volleyball News

April 24, 2022

Contact | Whitney Noble, Associate Director of Athletics Communications & Creative Content

Office Phone | 843.953.3683 | E-Mail | [log in to unmask]



COUGARS FALL TO TOP-SEEDED STETSON TO CONCLUDE ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP



HUNTSVILLE, Ala. --- Gabi Bailey and Kyra Thompson handed top-seeded Stetson its first flight loss of the weekend with a straight-victory at threes but it was not enough as College of Charleston fell to the Hatters, 4-1, on Sunday and finished its first trip to the ASUN Championships with a 3-2 record in Pool A at the John Hunt Sports Complex.



The Cougars were the first team to win a set against Stetson in the 2022 ASUN Championship collecting a straight-set victory in the third flight and pushing the Hatters to three sets in both the fourth and fifth pairings. Charleston narrowly missed out on a berth in Monday’s semifinal round, needing a Mercer win against UNCW as the Bears fell to the Seahawks, 3-2, in the final moments of their afternoon bout on Sunday.



QUICK SETS

Final Score (Match One): No. 1 Stetson 4, No. 5 College of Charleston 1

Location: Huntsville, Ala. (John Hunt Sports Complex)

Records: Charleston (22-13), Stetson (21-16)



HOW IT HAPPENED

The Hatters jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with straight set victories at ones and twos. Charleston registered the first set win of the weekend against Stetson at fours, evening that flight at one set apiece with a 21-15 second-set win before the Cougars’ fifth pairing replicated the feat minutes later to send the bottom two flights to a third frame.



Bailey and Thompson delivered the highlight of the day for the Cougars shortly thereafter, outlasting Stetson’s third pairing for a marathon 29-27 win in set one before edging the Hatters, 21-19, in the second to secure a point for Charleston.



PAIR OF THE DAY

Bailey and Thompson collected their fourth win of the weekend and 23rd of the season with a straight-set victory in the third flight which marked the only point Stetson surrendered during pool play.



NOTABLES



·      With their win against Stetson, Bailey and Thompson set a new single-season record for wins by a pair with 23. They conclude the season with a 23-4 mark and a .852 winning percentage.



·      Bailey also caps the season tied for the single-season mark with 18 wins on court four.



·      The Cougars finish the campaign with a single-season program-record 22 wins at 22-13 overall.



·      Senior Sky Benjamin concludes her four-year tenure as the all-time leader in court one victories (29) while also finishing her career tied for eighth with 40 wins overall.



·      Fellow senior Amani Dunston ends her career tied with Benjamin for eighth all-time with 40 individual wins including a 21-14 mark this season. The Agoura, Calif. native also ranks third all-time with 20 wins on court two.



·      Seniors Brooke Harris and Molly Russell conclude their Cougar careers with a combined 10 wins in 16 appearances between them.





No. 1 Stetson 4, No. 5 College of Charleston 1

1. Kylie Neuschaeferova/Shae Henson (STET) def. Sky Benjamin/Ella Reames (COFC) 21-11, 21-11

2. Carolina Ferraris/Anete Namike (STET) def. Amani Dunston/Sofie Vogel (COFC) 21-16, 21-17

3. Kyra Thompson/Gabi Bailey (COFC) def. Lauren Della/Gabriella Bramante (STET) 29-27, 21-19

4. Audrey Gauthier/Colene Hamilton (STET) def. Maria Zweig/Jasmin Goei (COFC) 21-13, 15-21, 15-12

5. Karin Zolnercikova/Noelle Weintraub (STET) def. Emma Falk/Rebeca Olariu (COFC) 21-18, 17-21, 15-10



NEXT UP

The Cougars are expected to return 13 letter-winners from this year’s squad including rising seniors Emma Falk, Mikaela Dougherty, Bailey and Thompson along with returning fifth-year players Ella Reames and Claire Campbell.



-www.CofCSports.com-





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